


Without Me, You Are Nothing (DISCONTINUED)

by Its_Raining_Here



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big Brother Papyrus (Undertale), Claustrophobia, Depressed Sans (Undertale), Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Fake Science, Gaster is Dead, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Overprotective Papyrus (Undertale), POV Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale) Knows More Than He Lets On, Papyrus is the Best (Undertale), Physical Abuse, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Sans has Nightmares (Undertale), Sans is on medication, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Suicidal Thoughts, Worried Papyrus (Undertale), Younger Brother Sans (Undertale), everyone is out of character, his girlfriend is a total bitch, sans is in an abusive relationship, someone help my poor son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Raining_Here/pseuds/Its_Raining_Here
Summary: You,  (Sans, 15) and Papyrus (19), are living an okay life. Papyrus takes care of the grown-up stuff, and you work part time as a sentry, and do comedy at the Resort to bring in some extra cash. You have several medical issues that eat up most of the funds, and you hate that your brother has to constantly delay his own dreams for you. Over the course of a few weeks, you notice there's one monster who always buys front row seats to your shows. One day, you pull her up on stage.That was the biggest mistake of your life.THIS FIC HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. I WILL BE PUBLISHING A REWRITE SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE
Relationships: Sans/Original Undertale Character(s)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 39





	1. Good Morning!

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna take me a while to write, updates currently don't have a schedule. I've gotta balance school, taking care of myself, my other hobbies. chores, and this fic on my head, sorry :(

There’s a lot of black. No, not black. There’s nothing. A blank void of nothing is surrounding you.

It feels like something, or someone, is watching you. But there’s nothing here. 

A loud ringing, almost screaming noise fills your head. You clutch at your skull, trying to make it go away.

_God just make it stop!_

It doesn’t stop. The ringing just gets louder the more you try to block it out. 

You start to run, but you don’t move. There’s nothing, you can’t run on nothing. 

A tall, lanky figure looms over you, making that horrid ringing noise.

You know who this is, but god you wish you didn’t.

Looks like dad wants to say hi.

Dust and blood flow from his chest.

You try to speak, but you are unable to form your thoughts into speech.

He’s holding something in his hands...a syringe filled with a red liquid.

_No. Not again._

You try to scream as he lunges at you, but no sound comes from your mouth.

He grabs you, and lifts you up to meet his face. The syringe is stabbed into your arm.

_No no no god no please no no NO!_

You wake up from another nightmare.

At least you aren’t screaming. 

_Getting a little better at this._

You push yourself up a little too fast, the world spins a little.

You glance at the alarm clock on the floor. 

8:55 AM.

5 minutes before it was supposed to go off. Why does it always do that?

You reach over and turn it off before it rings, it’s always too loud, and hurts your ears, despite not having any.

Papyrus is probably downstairs already. He’s usually up by this time, making breakfast. You wonder what he’ll make today.

“Sans! Are you already up?”

_There he is._

“Come downstairs! I’ve made a delicious new recipe!”

“m’comin pappy!” 

You climb out of bed, and walk over to your dresser.

_Should I wear the blue hoodie or the blue hoodie?  
So many options._

You giggle to yourself and put on your signature blue hoodie. It’s not like you have any other clothes to wear. This is all you need.

Papyrus constantly urges you to go buy some new clothes, but you always decline.

You would probably just melt on them anyways.

You sigh, and walk out downstairs. 

The smell of coffee and tasty food hits you like a brick.

“hey pappy. whatcha cookin?”

“Oh, good morning Sans! I wasn’t expecting you to actually come downstairs. I’m making some omelettes!”

“ah, omelettes are tasty. i bet you can make em better than me bro.”

You make your way across the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of coffee. 

_3 spoons of sugar and a crap ton of milk.  
Perfect._

Coffee is never tasty without some sugar, although Papyrus disagrees. He always makes his black.  
Most would think it’s the other way around. 

But you need the extra energy from the sugar. 

“How’s your eye feeling? It’s not bothering you, is it?”

“you ask me that every day pappy. it never hurts. just gotta keep taking my meds, and i won’t melt anywhere else.”

Papyrus still looks concerned. He should never be concerned. He deserves to be happy, he shouldn’t have to worry about you.

“really bro, m’fine. just gotta swap out my bandages, they’re a bit goopy.” You reassure him.

“Alright, if you say so. I’ll help you change them after breakfast, okay?” He resumes his task of trying not to burn the food.

“sounds great bro.”

You sit down at the table, and play games on your phone. The one you most enjoy is the one with the chicken and the busy road. You don’t even play the game right, just getting the chicken run over as soon as you can. The noises make you laugh.

Squeak!

“heh. dumb little chicken.”

Papyrus looked over at you.  
“Sans, are you torturing the chicken again?”

“indeed i am pappy. it’s just too funny, look at him, he’s all smeared on the ground!”

You shove your phone in Papyrus’s face.

“Very funny Sans. The poor thing just wants to cross the road!”

You continue to kill the chicken for a few more minutes, and then breakfast is ready.

Papyrus puts a big omelette filled with cheese and bacon on a plate, and slides it across the table to you.

“that was super cool pappy!”  
You can’t help but smile at his face.

“Why thank you brother! I am very cool, but your reassurance puts me at ease. Now eat up so we can change out those bandages of yours!”

_God he’s so cool._

“alrighty bro. i wont eat it too fast though, i wanna enjoy this masterpiece!”

Papyrus sits down in the chair across from you, and begins to eat his breakfast with you.

“i dunno how you can drink your coffee like that. aint it bitter?”

“I don’t need as much sugar as you do Sans. I’m already awake enough.”

“ouch bro. really gonna throw me under the bus there huh?” You grab your chest where your heart would be in mock offense. “really wounding me here.”

“Well it’s the truth! You only drink that sugary abomination so you don’t fall asleep while walking to your post!”

“can ya blame me? it’s in my nature to be bone tired all the time.”

Papyrus sighed and shoveled more omelette into his mouth.  
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that Sans.”

You continue.  
“c’mon pappy, you’re smiling. tibia honest, i think you love my puns. just dont wanna admit it.”

“I do love your puns, you just say far too many!”

You chuckle. Papyrus can always cheer you up, no matter the situation.

You both finish breakfast after a few minutes. Papyrus takes the dishes and goes to wash them.

“How did you sleep brother?”

“meh, same as always.”

“Another nightmare? ...was it about him?”

You sigh, and frown.

“yeah…” 

“I’m going to assume you don’t want to talk about it?”

“i dont mind, s’just a nightmare. it was...about the determination thing.”

“Oh...oh dear.”

Papyrus finishes the dishes in silence and walks over to you. You don’t notice, but you still have that look on your face. Papyrus notices, and does what he always does.

“Come along brother, let’s get rid of those nasty bandages!”

He’s good at changing the subject. 

He picks you up and carries you upstairs, and into the bathroom. He sits you down on the counter and fumbles around in the drawers, pulling out another bundle of bandages.

“There we are! These ones have blue hearts on them, so you’ll look extra cool today.”

“ill never be as cool as you though.”

“That is correct, but you can still look cool. Even if I’m always going to be double cool!”

“heh, got that right pappy.”

He peels off the sticky bandages around your right eye, and throws them away. Papyrus looks at it for a moment, before speaking.

“I feel like it’s getting worse, Sans. It’s not normally this...melty in the morning.”

“s’fine bro. it gets like that when im stressed sometimes. nightmares dont help with that very much.”

“Okay, I’m going to trust you on that Sans.” He starts wrapping up your eye. “But if it gets worse, you’re going to tell me, alright?”

“yes sir.”

“And you’re sure it doesn’t hurt?”

“positive”

“And you’ve been taking your medication every day at 3 PM, right?”

“pappy, you’re doing it again.”

He doesn’t seem to hear you.

“You’re not melting anywhere else, are you? Nothing new? Same as it always is? Are you positively positive that you’re okay?!”

“bro, calm down before you have another panic attack! m’fine, really. nothings wrong.”

“Sans, half of your face is eternally melting. There is a lot wrong with that. As your older brother, it is my duty to worry about you!”

“pappy i-”

“What if you melt more in your sleep and I can’t help you? What if you forget to take your pills and I’m not home to get them to you? What am I supposed to do if you di-”

“papyrus!” 

He stops, tears forming at the corners of his eye sockets. You never use his full name unless it’s serious.

“i’m not gonna melt anywhere else. most of our magic is near our eyes, thats why mine melted. i’ve never missed a day on my meds. not plannin’ on that anytime soon. you dont have to worry so much.”

“B-but I… I just don’t want to lose you Sans. We only have each other.”

“all the more reason for me not to die.”

You climb down from the counter, and hug Papyrus. He picks you up and you cling to him like a sloth.

“I love you Sans.”

“love you too pappy”

.  
.  
.

After a while of hugging, Papyrus speaks.

“I-I think we should go do something else. You have off work today, right?”

“yep. wanna go watch tv?”

“That sounds fun, come along Sans!”

He doesn’t put you down, opting to just carry you. 

You do your best not to fall asleep in his arms, it just feels so safe around him, like nothing can hurt you. Well, he wouldn’t let anything hurt you. Papyrus would beat the life out of anyone who meant you harm. It’s happened before. You had been leaving MTT Resort after one of your shows, when a hostile monster pulled you into an alley and attacked you. Papyrus hadn’t been far behind, and ended up almost killing them. Luckily the case was ruled as self defense, so nothing else came of it. 

You were so lost in thought that you didn’t even notice Papyrus staring at you. He had already sat down on the couch, still holding you. 

“Are you alright, brother? You seem a bit spaced out.”

You look up at him, his eye sockets laced with worry.

“oh, heh. just thinkin’ bout how cool you are. i feel really safe around you, yanno?”

Papyrus’s face has a hint of surprise when he responds.

“R-Really? You really mean that?”

“would i lie to the best big brother in the world?’

He squeezes you into the biggest hug.

“Oh, Sans! It makes me so happy to hear that!”

Annnnnd now he’s crying.

“aw pappy, dont cry. im just tellin’ the truth. having such a strong brother around really makes me feel safe.”

“Awww Sans you’re too sweet!”

“heh, must be all the coffee kicking in.”

“Maybe.”

He puts you down, and goes to turn on the TV. Mettaton is running his cooking show again. Making pancakes this time.

‘Ooo, that looks very tasty! Hold on, I need to write down the recipe.”

Papyrus rushes up the stairs and into his room, searching for some paper and a pencil.

Now that you’re alone with your thoughts, you think back to your nightmare.

It had been about Gaster, your “dad”. He had injected you with determination, a substance you’re a bit too familiar with. 

You suppose it’s the memories coming back to haunt you.

He was never a very good person. 

Papyrus walks back downstairs, tearing you from your thoughts. He begins to jot down the recipe as Mettaton lists the ingredients needed.

“you gonna make that tomorrow?”

“I should be able to drop by the store this afternoon, then I can get the ingredients!” He says, not looking up from his paper. 

He finishes copying down the recipe, and tucks the paper into his pocket.

“i bet they're gonna taste amazing bro. you're the best cook i know.”

Papyrus sits down next to you on the couch.

“Of course they’ll taste delicious! Anything cooked by The Great Papyrus will be exquisite!” 

You chuckle, and turn your attention back to the TV. Mettaton was chasing a little white dog across the kitchen now. The dog was running away with a wooden spoon caked with batter in its mouth.

Papyrus looked irritated.

“Ooooh! That meddling canine has corrupted my favorite show! What else is he going to do? Shit in my boots?”

You widen your eye sockets in surprise.

“wow bro, watch the language.”

Papyrus inhaled sharply. (somehow)

“I apologize for using such foul words, I’m just so tired of this dog ruining everyth- oh look! Mettaton got his spoon back!”

You look back at the TV.

“a good thing too, watchin’ them run was makin’ me tired.”

“Everything makes you tired, Sans.”

“hey, when you’re as busy as me, life gets pretty tiring. i have a skele-ton of work to do all day.”

Papyrus stares at you for a few seconds.

“Please do not.”

“all I picked up from that was ‘please do’.”

“Sans, I swear to Asgore.”

“fine, fine. i won’t make jokes for now, happy?”

“Very.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 should be out in a few days.


	2. Pain! Pillow Forts! Brotherly Love! Movies!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans takes his medication, and Papyrus is there to help. Then they watch movies together before Sans has to go to MTT Resort to perform.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had a lot going on in my life, and I've been really busy. I wrote most of this at 1 am so I apologize for any errors or mistakes.

The rest of your morning went smoothly. You and Papyrus finished watching Mettaton’s show. You went to the store, got some Cinnamon Bunnies, and went for a walk afterwards. Going on long walks in the forest with your brother is one of your favorite things to do. It clears your head. Takes your mind off of what’s soon to come.

As you and Papyrus were walking, conversation in progress, your phone alarm rings through the trees.

You dig around in your pockets for a few moments, before pulling out your phone and inspecting the screen.

3:00 PM

_Goddamnit._

“Is it that time of day already…?” Papyrus quietly asked.

You sigh.

“yeah, we should get home. here, i’ll use a shortcut.”

You reach for your brother's hand, and he quickly returns the motion. In a blink of magic, you’re back home.

Papyrus picks you up, and carries you up the stairs. He brings you to your room, and sets you down on your bed.

“I shall return shortly with some water, okay brother?” Papyrus exits your room, and you hear the faint sound of running water from downstairs.

“a’right, let’s get this over with.”

You reach into your pocket and retrieve the dreaded pill bottle. Turning the cap, you pop one out into your hand. The reddish-cream tablet rolls around in your gloved palm. 

You close the bottle, and shove it back in your hoodie. You’re not excited for what’s gonna happen next, but you’ve been doing this for 10 years, daily. Somehow, you never get used to it.

You don’t think you ever will.

Papyrus walks back into the room, water in hand, and swiftly crosses the mess of a room.

You take the water from him when he extends it to you. 

Inhaling deeply, you toss the pill into your mouth, and chug the water, forcing it all down.

You brace yourself, trying to prepare for the pills effect. 

A few moments later, a burning shock pierces through your entire body. You drop the water glass, thankfully empty.

You double over in immense pain, burying your face into the blanket. and let out a muffled scream.

Contain it. Shut up. Don’t make him more scared than he already is. You do this every day. Stop.

Your inner thoughts don’t do much to help. The burning gets worse as each second passes. You feel like you’re going to vomit. But you can’t. That would only make you take another pill, you needed to keep this one down. 

Curling into a ball, you start to sob. The Determination pills are so painful, but they’re the only thing keeping you from melting. They stabilize you. They help you.

Sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.

As always, Papyrus is there to help. He pulls you into a hug, and squeezes you tight. You bury your face into his orange sweater, and let out a sob. 

It hurts. It hurts so much. The Determination makes its way through your system, quickly doing its work. The pain doesn’t last for a long time, but it hurts like hell. 

Papyrus rubs circles in your back, in an attempt to make the pain go away. It doesn’t help much, but you aren’t going to complain when he already has to make sure you don’t pass out.Tears stream down your face, soaking into your brother's sweater. 

“It’s okay...shh, it’s okay Sans.” Papyrus whispers softly to you.

Your only response is a pained whimper. 

The pain starts to melt away, but you know it’s not over just yet. The pill has one last surprise for you. Is it really a surprise when you know it’s coming though?

One last jolt of that stabbing feeling shakes your entire body. You clutch at Papyrus’ sweater, and a scream makes its way from your mouth. He tenses up, and holds you tighter.

“It’s almost over...shh...it’s okay.”

_You’re so selfish, making him worry so much._

_Look at you, pathetic._

_He shouldn’t have to deal with you._

_You’re nothing but a burden to him._

_All that money he’s spending to keep you alive, when it could be going to more important things._

Your thoughts are interrupted as your body spasms, the last bit of Determination stabilizer absorbed. You release a quiet whimper, and your eye sockets go half lidded. Your arms go limp, and Papyrus has to hold you even tighter to prevent you from falling.

“It’s okay, it’s over now. Do you want me to get you anything?” He whispers softly, still rubbing your back.

“w-water…?” You mumble, voice hoarse from screaming.

“Of course, I’ll be right back, okay?”

He slowly lays you down on your bed, and speedwalks out of your room to get some water.

You hear the muffled sound of the faucet running, before being shut off. Faintly, you hear the pantry being opened and closed as well. 

Papyrus makes his way back upstairs and walks back to you. He sets down a glass of water and a chocolate chip cookie on your dresser. Your brother leans you forward a bit, before stuffing a few pillows behind you. You lean back into the soft pile. It’s so cozy and warm, it makes you feel safe, even more with Papyrus around.

After getting you all tucked in, Papyrus hands you the water and cookie. With your hands shaking a little, you carefully take a few sips of water, and nibble on the cookie. You can’t really stomach (haha) much, but it’s good to get something in your system. 

Well, something other than Determination Stabilizer.

“Are you feeling any better, brother?” Papyrus asked.

“better than before, i guess. just gonna chill for the rest of the day, if that’s okay.” You explain.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Do you want me to leave you alone?”

Papyrus is always too nice to you. He always makes sure you’re happy, even at the cost of his own happiness. You don’t know how he does it. Staying positive, even when things look so dark.

“nah, it’s cool if you wanna stay. unless you’ve got somethin’ you need to do. don’t wanna keep you away for too long.” 

“Nonsense! I always have time to spend with you, Sans! In fact, hold on!” Papyrus sprints out of the room before you can say anything.

You chuckle, Papyrus is so funny sometimes. 

_Why would he want to spend time with you?_

_You’re nothing but a burden._

_He’s better off without you._

_He spends too much money on medical bills for you._

Sighing, you wonder what your brother is doing. Now that you have something to think about, the screaming voices stop for a while. Everyone has little voices in their heads, Papyrus told you this once. So at least you know you’re not insane. 

Right?

Of course not. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a little voice in their head. Sometimes, that voice is nice. Sometimes, that voice is a jerk. Sometimes, that voice tells you to ki-

“I have returned, brother! There is a surprise downstairs waiting for us!” Papyrus peeks his head into your room.

“oh? did ya set something on fire?”

He looks at you, in mock annoyance.

“Oh please, spare me your teasing. It was one time! I can’t believe you still remember that.” 

You remember that night. Vividly. It was 2 years ago, on your 13th birthday. Papyrus had tried to cook a chocolate cake for you, but ended up mixing in the box too...somehow. It ended up catching on fire in the oven, and almost burned down the whole house. He freaked out, and kept apologizing for ruining your birthday, but you thought it was hilarious. You ended up ordering pizza, and Papyrus reluctantly let you dip it in ketchup.

“ah. how could i not? the great chocolate cake-tastrophe.”  


“I’m going to take away your ketchup bottles.”

“wait no.”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of the trash bag.”

“i'm right here man.”

“You know what I meant! Anyways, come here.”

Papyrus scooped you up, and held you over his shoulder, knocking over a few pillows to the floor as he carried you downstairs. 

The couch...wasn’t there? No, wait, there’s a ton of blankets and pillows on top of it. It takes you a few seconds, but you finally realize what this is. 

A pillow fort.

Not just a pillow fort, but there’s also a bunch of snacks inside, right in the middle, as well as a case of soda. 

“woah! pappy, you did this all for me?” You ask, eye sockets wide in amazement.

“Anything for the best little brother in the world!” Papyrus hugged you close.

“you’re the best big bro, pappy.” You hug him back.

“Well, let's not waste anymore time. We may have the whole day, but we need to do as much cool brother stuff as possible!”

Papyrus carried you over to the fort, and holy crap was it comfy. He plopped you down in a pile of blankets, and you sank into them like quicksand. The whole thing looked so much bigger on the inside. It was like a huge tent, but in your living room. You don’t know how Papyrus managed to build this thing, but you’re not about to question it.

Papyrus makes sure you’re all settled in, before sitting down next to you. He cuddles up next to you, and hands you the remote. 

“What should we watch? I know there’s a really good movie that just got released on UnderFlix!” 

“the one with the girl, and the button eyes, and weird other world?”

“Yes, that one!”

“sounds great, let’s watch it!”

You type in the search bar to find the movie, Coraline, as it’s called. The opening credits start, and you snuggle close to your brother.

“hey.” 

“Yes, Sans?”

“i love you pappy.”

“I love you too brother.”

\------------------

The movie was really good.

You and Papyrus had eaten most of the snacks, and drank half a case of soda. You were both discussing the movie, Papyrus was very passionate about it.

“It was an amazing film! Although creepy, I can appreciate the effort that was put into it.”

“yeah, the characters are so likeable! i liked the wyborne kid, and his pet cat is pretty cute.”

“The button eyes reminded me of the plushies you make, they weren’t as cute, however.” 

“heh, well, my plushies don’t kidnap and murder kids. as far as i know, at least.”

“That would be pretty terrifying, please don’t make any murderous dolls.”

“i’ll try.” 

You check your phone for the time.

5:02 PM.

“we’ve still got a bit of time left before my show starts. around 2 hours.”

“Wanna watch another movie?”

“sure, you pick this time.”

You hand him the remote, and he starts to scroll through the options. 

“How about...Thunder and the House of Magic? It looks cute!”

“it does look pretty cute, let’s give it a go!”

Papyrus hits play, and you reach for the bag of chips.

\------------------

Papyrus cried. 

You cried.

It was an amazing movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen Coraline or Thunder and the House of Magic, please fix that and go watch them right now or I will steal your chocolate chip cookies.
> 
> that was a threat


	3. Oh My God It's Sand Undertale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans meets a fangirl on his way to the resort, and later makes a ton of cat jokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG AHHH  
> Have a slightly longer chapter to make up for the wait!  
> I'm gonna post a shorter chapter later tonight, only because it would flow better on it's own, rather than being tagged onto the end of this one.

Papyrus helped you get ready for your show, as always, and changed out your bandages again to ensure you looked nice for the audience.

“i look fine bro, no ones gonna see me from up close anyways.” You protested.

“Nonsense! You need to look your very best for tonight! If your bandages are all drippy and gross no one will want to be there.” Papyrus argued back.

He had a point. While the resort was usually dark, there were spotlights right above where you stood, so people might notice the black sludge dripping from your eye socket.

“a’right pappy, you know best.”

“Of course I do. I’m the older one here.” He finished wrapping up your eye socket, and picked you up from the bathroom counter. “Now, let's get you to the resort! You have an audience to entertain!”

Papyrus speed walked down the stairs, and put you down on the couch. He grabs his phone from the table, unplugging it, and walks back over to you.

“Got everything you need? Phone, emergency ketchup packets, joke book, pen and notepad?” Papyrus asked.

“check, check, check, and check.” You reply, patting your jacket's right pocket.

“Alrighty, then we’re off!” Papyrus scooped you up into his arms again, turned off the lights, and walked out the door, locking it behind him.

You don’t know why he insists on carrying you everywhere, but hey, you’re not about to complain. You try to convince him to let you shortcut there, but he won't let you.

“Using too much magic can be dangerous for you, even life threatening in some cases! I’m not going to let you hurt yourself just to save some time.” 

“fair enough. i guess we can take the scenic route.”

Papyrus half sprinted to the ferry landing by the icy river, where the River Person sat on their boat, waiting for passengers. They saw the two of you approaching, and stood up to greet you.

“Ah, greetings skeleton brothers. I hope all is well with you?” 

Papyrus nodded.

“Indeed! Same to you as well, River Person.”

“I am doing quite good. Now, where shall I take you tonight?” They gestured for you to step onto the boat.

“Hotland, please. Sans has to get to a show at the resort.” Papyrus set you down in the boat, before getting in himself. He handed the River Person 10 G.

“Very well. I would tell you to buckle your seatbelts, but we do not have those here. I suppose you shall have to hold onto each other.” 

The boat began to move slightly upwards, growing legs on the bottom. A small, derpy cat face formed on the front, smiling at you. You smile back to be polite. Moving at a quick but steady pace, the boat ran across the water, towards Hotland. Papyrus held you close so you wouldn’t be flung off.

“Tra la la…the water smells quite dry today.” The River Person's strange “wisdom” of the day echoed through the caverns.

“you gonna explain that or…?” 

“Tre le le…”

Papyrus stifled a laugh.

The River Person hummed a soft melody, similar to the one used for the piano puzzle in Waterfall.

The rest of the short ride to Hotland was silent, except for a soft pitter patter of the boat’s wooden paws hitting the surface of the water. The significant rise in temperature let you know that you were at your destination. The boat came to a slow stop, before laying down, and allowing you both to get off. Papyrus picked you back up, and stepped off the boat.

“Thank you for the ride, River Person. See you soon!” Papyrus thanked them.

“thanks, see ya.” You thank them as well, patting the boat’s head. It gives out a purr.

“Safe travels, skeleton brothers.” The River Person stared ahead, waiting for the next passenger to arrive.

Papyrus turned away, checking his phone for the time. 

“We have 20 minutes before your show starts. We should hurry so you have time to prepare.” He started walking faster.

“you’re the one in charge of speed here, bro. i’m just the hitchhiker.” 

“Oh hush. I don’t have to carry you there! Maybe I should just drop you and make you walk for once.”

“nah, you wouldn’t do that to your poor baby brother.”

“Correct. You’re far too fragile to toss around carelessly.”

“hey, m’not fragile. just a little small.”

“Your stats say otherwise.”

Your conversation was cut short by a young looking fire elemental, maybe around 14 years old, running up to you and your brother. They seemed really excited, their blue fire crackling and flickering loudly.

“Oh. My. GOD! You’re Sans! THE Sans!” The fire monster shouted.

Papyrus puts you down gently, as to not hurt you. You can already tell where this conversation is going, but maybe playing dumb would make them chill? (heh, chill)

“uh. hi? did you need something?” 

The monster squealed.

“EEEEEEE! SANS JUST TALKED TO MEEEE!!! I'M SO GONNA BRAG TO MY FRIENDS!”

You rubbed your skull where your ears would be, if you had them. 

“i’m gonna guess you’re a fan of mine? can’t really understand why. m’not that great, i just tell jokes on a stage.”

“Yes yes yes! I’m a HUGE fan! I’ve only been able to watch your shows from T.V, but my mom finally let me buy a ticket! My friends were so jealous! Oh, my name is Cinder, by the way.” Cinder stared at you with metaphorical stars in her eyes.

This girl must have a huge crush on you or something. There’s no doubt.

“w-well, i hope you have fun. i’ve got some new jokes ready for tonight, i’ll look for you in the crowd kid.” You reach to shake Cinder’s hand, unsure of what to do. Cinder quickly shakes your hand in return.

That seemed like the right move, because she started squealing again.

“I’m never washing my hands AGAIN!”

“heh, well, i can give you my autograph if you want. extra bragging rights over your friends, right?” You pull out a pen and notepad from your pocket, scribbling down your signature, and doodling a hotdog.

Cinder gasped, eyes widening.

“Yes please! Haha, my friends are gonna hate me for this!” 

“well, sucks to be them, huh?” You extend the paper to Cinder, and she pulls out her wallet from her bag, carefully slipping the autograph in. 

She then digs around in a pocket, pulling out her phone.

“Can I have a picture with you, please?” She asks, beaming.

“heh, sure, always happy to meet fans.”

Cinder stands next to you, holding her phone in front of you both. You make a peace sign with your hand, and she does the same. She snaps a few photos, the two of you doing different poses for each one. After a bit, she has about 8 pictures of you doing various ridiculous faces at the camera. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite you later.

“Thank you so much! I won’t keep you for much longer, don’t want you being late for your show.” She put her phone back in her bag. “It was super nice to meet you, Sans! Bye!” Cinder waves goodbye before running towards the resort.

“bye kid, see ya at the resort!” You wave back. 

Papyrus picks you back up without you having to say anything. It’s almost like he can read your mind sometimes. He starts walking a bit faster than before, to get you to your show on time.

“that was something, huh?” 

“Indeed. It’s quite amusing to watch you interact with your fans, brother.”

“don’t start.”

“Stuttering over your words, not sure how to talk to them, fidgeting with your hoodie sleeves…”

You sigh dramatically.

“jeez pappy, excited teenage fangirls are hard to talk to.” 

Papyrus chuckled.

“You just need to get used to being admired, brother. You’ve had 2 years and you’re still not used to fans recognizing you.”

“i’ll never get used to em. too hyper for me to keep up.”

In record time, you arrived at MTT Resort, and Papyrus carried you through the lobby. A few monsters looked your way, glancing at you in his arms. Even over the 2 years you’ve been coming here, people still act surprised to see him carrying you. It’s comfy though, and it means you don’t have to walk, so they can stare all they want.

Papyrus makes his way to backstage, where he sits you down on a chair, and fusses over you for a minute, double checking your hoodie for any ketchup

“pappy, m’fine. go sit down.”

“I just need to make sure you’re prepared. Do you know what you’re going to say when you get up there?” He crouches down to meet your eye sockets.

“depends on how they introduce me to the newcomers. i’ll be fine bro, i’ve been doing this since i was 13.”

He stands up.

“Very well, I shall see you in a few minutes, brother! Do not get cold feet!” Papyrus said, patting the top of your head.

“impossible bro, we’re in hotland.”

Groaning dramatically, he left the room, walking back into the lobby so he could get to the seats. Not long after he leaves, Mettaton rolls into the room, and over to you.

“Hello darling! Ready to dazzle the audience with your charm?” He asks.

“yep. how much longer till i’m up?”

“About 2 minutes. You should go stand behind the curtain, just to be prepared.”

“a’right.” You say, standing up from your chair.

Walking over to the curtain, you can hear the monster who goes before you finishing up their part. She was a snake monster, who mostly sang songs, sometimes telling jokes. Now, you weren’t about to say anything, but she wasn’t...the best at it. She was an amazing singer, able to hit all of the high notes in the world, but humor wasn’t her strong suit.

Mettaton rolled over to the curtain as well, stepping out as the snake monster slithered backstage. She made her way over to the door, and left into the lobby to get her paycheck. You heard Mettaton announcing the next act, yours, to the audience. 

“And now, for our most popular act of the whole show, Comic Sans Serif, with stand up comedy!” He practically shouted into the microphone, turning around and gesturing for you to step on stage.

Walking out from behind the curtain, you take the microphone, and stand in the center of the stage. Mettaton swiftly rolls away, leaving you to do your thing.

Calling on your blue magic, you grab onto an empty chair from backstage, and teleport it next to you.

“wonder when he’ll get it right. there’s no way i’m standing up for this.” You say, sitting down in the chair.

The crowd breaks into hushed giggles at your first joke of the night. Oh boy, they know what’s in store, but that doesn’t stop them from getting excited. 

You can see Papyrus from where you are. He always sits in the same seat. Right smack in the center of the room, snacking on a bowl of chips. Papyrus gives you a big smile, and a thumbs up, silently telling you “You got this!”

“well, i can see we’ve got some new faces here, i recognise some of ya. hey cinder.” You wave to the blue fire elemental. Her flames grow a bit brighter as she waves back.

Scanning the crowd, you can see at least 6 newcomers. A bird monster, 2 Vulkins, Tsundere Plane, Cinder, and a cat monster at the table closest to the stage. 

It was a bit strange to see anyone this close to the stage. Those tables were the most expensive ones, so not many bought them. Oh well. It means you get paid more, so you’re not complaining.

“so, how's the food here? never had it myself, my bro always cooks for me. he’s an eggcellent chef.” 

A few monsters in the crowd chuckle.

“hmm. how do i get more laughs outta you guys? c’mon, i gotta fill my water bottle with tears somehow!” 

The cat monster in front laughs a bit, obviously trying to hold it in. Gotta take this chance while you can.

Making eye contact, (eye socket/eye contact???) you say,

“there we go. i was worried a cat came in here and stole everyone's tongues. good to know that’s not the case.”

The crowd erupts into laughter. Score! The poor cat monster from before is curled over in a violent fit of giggles, holding her sides. Cat jokes seem to be the way to go, but you don’t know a lot of those. Maybe you can make up a funny story on the spot?

“speakin’ of cats, didja hear about that one guy who went on a killing spree, few years back?”

A few people from the audience go wide eyed, unaware that it’s a setup for the best joke of all time. 

“yeah, i heard he only ever killed cats. one day, he got caught by the royal guard. when he was arrested, his name was exposed to the public.” You lean forward, and hold the mic closer to your face, and your eye lights flicker out. “his name was...curiosity.”

In an instant, the whole room is filled with “Pfft” and “Oh my god”s. Someone even spits out the water they were drinking onto their friends.

The unnamed cat monster had her face buried in her arms, whole body shaking with uncontrollable laughter. Even Papyrus was laughing. This may just be the best show you’ve ever done.

\-----------------

About an hour later, it was time for you to leave. Saying a tearful goodbye to the crowd, you place the microphone back into its holder, and step offstage.

Papyrus gets up from his seat, and walks over to you, holding a half empty bowl of chips.

“That was great Sans! The story with the cat killer caught me off guard.” Papyrus said, handing you a chip.

“thanks bro. m’glad you liked it.” 

The chips were a pretty high quality brand. Nothing you wouldn’t expect from Mettaton. Pretty tasty too. Surprisingly, they’re not coated in glitter.

In the corner of your eye socket, you swear you can see that cat monster looking at you. It’s pretty normal for you to be stared at though, so you don’t pay any mind to it.

Papyrus tosses the now empty chip bowl into the trash. (it was a paper bowl so that’s okay) He then picks you up, and you rest your head on his shoulder.

Walking out of the resort, Papyrus carries you to the ferry landing, hoping the River Person might be there. But alas, it’s past 8 PM, so they went home for the night, like always. Well, it was worth a shot. Papyrus sighed and turned to walk the whole way home.

“yanno, i can just teleport us home.” You offer.

“No, absolutely not. You know the limit of one shortcut per day!” He scolds.

“aww, c’mon pappy. no harm in one extra ‘port.”

He shakes his head.

“There is a _lot_ of harm in one extra ‘port. Too much magic use is bad for you, we have the limit for a reason!”

“prettyy pleeeease? i don’t wanna get home at 12 AM again.” You make the skeleton equivalent of sad puppy eyes at him.

Papyrus sighed.

“Alright, fine. One extra shortcut today. Just...don’t tire yourself out, okay?” He gave in.

“sweet, don’t worry bro, i’ll be fine. we’ll be home before you can say ‘spaghetti!’”

With a snap of your fingers, the world blinks, and Papyrus is knee deep in a snow poff. 

“Ugh. Thank you, Sans. Now my socks are all wet and gross!” He struggles to get his feet unstuck from the mound of snow.

“pfffft. Sorry b-bro, hehe.” You say in between laughs.

“You are forgiven, but no more rule bending today, okay?”

“that’s fair.”

Papyrus eventually freed himself from the evil snow poff, and began walking up to your house. He fumbled with the keys for a moment, before unlocking the door and practically throwing you onto the couch.

“hey! no need to toss me around.”

“Oh boo hoo. You’re not the one with soggy socks.”

“say that five times fast.”

“Soggy socks, soggy socks, soggy socks, soggy socks, soggy socks. There.”

“wow.” 

He walked into the kitchen after setting his boots down next to the door, and tossing his socks into the laundry basket from across the room, giving you a smile.

“So, what do you want for dinner?” Papyrus asked, opening the refrigerator.

“hmm...grilled cheese?”

Grilled cheese is #3 on your favorite foods list, but you don’t think your brother would let you have ketchup and chocolate for dinner. He would probably say, “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen you eat.” 

It probably would be pretty gross.

Now you really want to try it.

Papyrus grabs butter and a bag of cheese from the refrigerator, and closes the door, placing them on the counter.

“Of course! A tasty, simple, quick dinner!” He says, turning to you, smiling widely.

He walked over to the pantry, taking a loaf of bread, placing that on the counter as well. Papyrus took a frying pan, spreading the butter over it, and turning on the stove, letting the butter melt.

You stood up from the couch and went to sit at the table, observing your older brother. He’s really good at cooking, so maybe you can learn a thing or two from watching.

Yeah right.

Papyrus wouldn’t let you anywhere near the stove after you set a pot of water on fire. Neither of you know how you managed it. It would almost be impressive, if you hadn’t set off the fire alarm and caused half the town to evacuate.

Good times.

Papyrus finishes the first grilled cheese, and puts it on a plate for you, setting it down on the table.

“thanks pappy, smells amazing!”

“Nyeh! Of course it does Sans, it was made with love!”

“aww. that’s so cheesy bro.”

“I take back my previous statement.”

“love you too.”

———————

After Papyrus had finished cleaning up the kitchen, he picked you up from the couch, where you had been playing games on your phone.

“Brother, how many times have I told you not to play games so late? It’s bad for you!” He scolded.

“eh, hasn’t killed me yet.”

Papyrus sighed, carrying you up the stairs. He opens the bathroom door, and sets you down on the counter.

Your brother digs around in the drawer, and takes out another fresh roll of bandages. Slowly peeling away the old, sticky ones, he wraps the fresh bandages around your eye.

“There we go! Nice, clean bandages.”

“not for long though. heh.”

“Well, there’s not really much we can do about that. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

He scoops you up, and you wrap your arms around his neck, snuggling up to him. Papyrus pats your head, something he knows that you love. 

Sure, it makes you seem like a cat, looking for pets all the time. But they’re comforting. _Comforting Head Pats™._

Maybe you are a cat, or used to be one in a past life.

Who knows?

Papyrus opens the door to your room, and puts you down on your bed, pulling your favorite blanket over you. It was a big, soft blanket, covered in little stars and moons.

You relax into the soft comfort of your bed, letting yourself sink into the mattress, bundled up in a warm cocoon.

“Comfy?” Papyrus asks, smiling at you.

“super comfy bro.” You smile back.

He leans down, and kisses the top of your skull gently.

“Goodnight Sans, sweet dreams!”

“g’night pappy…” You yawn at the end of your sentence.

Papyrus smiles, and you hear the soft click of your door closing.

You turn over onto your side, cuddling your favorite stuffed animal in your arms. Papyrus had learned how to sew just to make it for you a few years ago. It’s a soft, light brown sloth named Molasses.

After your brother had made Molasses, you begged him non stop to teach you how to sew as well. Eventually, he gave in, and showed you how to make plushies on your own. You’ve gotten pretty good, in your opinion.

Sometimes, monsters will even buy custom made plushies from you.

Slowly, your eye socket grows heavy, and you can’t keep them open much longer. You look up at the ceiling, gazing at the painted on glow-in-the-dark stars and planets. Papyrus did those, too. 

You finally drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Molasses is an actual plushie that I own, and I wanted to give Sans something to cuddle at night, so she just made her way into my fic. I got her at an aquarium gift shop. Dunno why she was at the aquarium, but hey, it's a sloth plushie, how could I refuse?


	4. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus sings a lullaby for his little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wholesome brotherly love for the win!  
> haha just you wait for the later chapters
> 
> ALSO HEY LOOK I drew Sans
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/comicsansserifgaster/art/E9251b28-1e74-4bd1-a3b9-8c2ccca34915-861252583
> 
> look at my son

Needles. 

Red.

White lab coats.

Examination tables.

The distant sound of a child screaming.

It takes you a moment to realize that it’s you screaming.

**“Subject 2-S has reacted poorly to the determination injection. Further exposure to the solution should build an immunity.”**

“p-please! it b-b-burns! make i-it stop!”

You can hear your brother crying for you from the cell. It’s no use. The forcefield won't let him past.

You scream for your brother to save you.

But nobody came.

You scream for someone to save you.

But nobody came.

You scream for anybody to save you.

**B̴u̷t̷ ̴n̸o̴b̷o̸d̵y̵ ̸c̵a̴m̷e̴**

\------------------------

You jolt awake, clutching Molasses like your life depended on it. 

Tears are streaming d- wait no. Those aren’t tears.

Tears aren’t supposed to hurt.

_Shit._

Shakily, you reach your hand to touch whatever is leaking from your eye sockets.

It’s a gross, pitch black sludge. The thick liquid runs down in between the space between your bones.

Sighing, you drop Molasses, and get up from your bed. You open your bedroom door, and walk down the hall to Papyrus’ room.

He never locks his door, just in case you needed him in the middle of the night. 

You consider knocking, but he might not wake up, so you settle on just waltzing in.

Papyrus is asleep, no surprise there, so you tap him on the shoulder a few times.

“paaaappyy.”

He grumbles a bit in his sleep.

You poke him a little harder.

“pappyyyyy, my eye sockets are leaking again.”

That seems to wake him up a bit more. He shifts, sitting up. Papyrus rubs his eye sockets, looking at you. It’s dark, so he can’t see the dripping liquid.

“Wha…?”

“my eye sockets are leaking again.” You repeat calmly.

His eyes widen, and he jumps up, all tiredness gone in an instant.

“Oh shit. Er, pardon my language.” He gets up from his bed, and picks you up, carrying you to the bathroom.

“you’re fine. sorry for wakin’ ya up.”

Papyrus sets you down on the counter, and turns on the light.

“No, thank you for waking me. It’s a good thing you alerted me that your magic was going wonky again.” He fumbles around in the drawer, taking out a packet of wet wipes, and some new bandages.

He starts to wipe off the sludge dripping from your eye sockets.

“This probably happened because of your extra shortcut. I’m never letting you convince me to let you bend the rules again.” Papyrus re wraps your eye with a fresh set of bandages.

“that’s fair enough.” 

Your brother puts the wipes away, and uses a small healing spell on you. Green light floats from his hands towards your eyes, replenishing some of the magic that you lost.

“thanks bro.”

“It’s no problem, Sans! Now, let’s get you back to bed, okay?” He picks you back up, and carries you to your room.

Papyrus sets you down on your bed, tucking you in for the second time that night. You grab Molasses and hold her in your arms.

“Goodnight Sans, wake me if it starts up again, alright?” He smiles at you, and starts to walk away.

“wait, pappy?”

He stops, and turns around to you.

“Yes brother?”

“um… it’s kind of dumb, but…uh. i was wondering if…if you could sing to me…?” 

You felt stupid asking that. Of course he’s not going to sing to you. You’re too old for lullaby’s. He's probably going to laugh at you.

Despite what your thoughts were telling you, Papyrus sits down on your bed next to you, and pulls you closer to him, still bundled in your blanket.

“Of course! I thought you would never ask me again.” He says, laughing a little.

He holds you in his arms, and it makes you feel like a little kid again. Papyrus always used to sing to you whenever you were upset, and it calmed you down. 

“i kinda missed em. had a nightmare, and i guess it rattled me a little.”

Papyrus frowns a bit, but it’s not directed at you.

“Well, which one would you like me to sing, brother?”

There were a few songs that Papyrus would sing to you. Most of them were classics, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, You Are My Sans-Shine, etc. 

But there was one song that Papyrus had written specially for you. It was your favorite, and it never ceased to knock you out.

You even had a music box on your dresser that played the melody. Papyrus had gotten it made for your birthday the same year you got Molasses.

“the one you wrote?” You ask, snuggling up close to him

Papyrus smiled gently.

“That’s a good one, are you comfy?”

“mhm.” You say, yawning.

He reaches over to your dresser, and winds up the music box. A soft, calming song plays.

_Brother, oh won’t you please calm your heart.  
Just close your eyes...and hear your heartache wisp away…  
Let sleep embrace you, don’t be afraid of the dark._

_Please, allow me to pacify your mind.  
Just rest, oh rest and...feel your pain be blown away…  
And no harm done, oh no pain shall come…for now place your worries aside._

_Hush now, hush now,  
No one can hurt you now.  
See all that you’ve accomplished, now take a bow!_

_Everyone has their own battles  
Inside their hearts so please…  
Be gentle._

_You never have to fight your battles alone._

_Brother, oh won’t you please calm your heart.  
Just close your eyes...and hear your heartache wisp away…  
Let sleep embrace you, don’t be afraid of the dark._

_Please, allow me to pacify your mind._  
Just rest, oh rest and...feel your pain be blown away…  
So no harm done, oh no pain shall come…for now place your worries aside. 

The music box fades away, along with the rest of the world, as you drift off into sleep.

“Goodnight Sans, I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original song is called Ralsei's Lullaby, you can listen to it here!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fqwZ5Cl9ok
> 
> I altered it a little bit, changing darling to brother


	5. Oh? You Wanted Plot? DID SOMEONE SAY PANCAKES?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing actually happens lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just some fluffy filler so I can set up later chapters.

Today, you actually woke up from the loud beeping of your alarm, rather than from a terrifying nightmare. You had been having a rare good dream, so you were a tad annoyed to be woken up. It’s hard to remember all the details, but you can vaguely recall something about a singing cup of coffee. 

Your good dreams are weird.

Yesterday had been a great day, so maybe that’s making you have better dreams? But you never really have _bad_ days. The only thing you had done differently was asking Papyrus to sing to you. 

That would explain the singing coffee cup, at least.

Maybe you’ll ask Papyrus to sing to you more often. Hell, maybe even a bedtime story would chase away your nightmares.

It’s been years since you’ve had a bedtime story, and to be completely honest, you kind of miss it. 

Your favorite story has always been Fluffy Bunny: Hide And Seek In Space. How could it not be? Space was already one of your favorite things, and adding Fluffy Bunny to it just makes it 10 times better.

You’ll definitely ask Papyrus to read to you tonight.

Reaching over to turn off your alarm clock, your hand falls onto the carpet. You force your sleepy eye sockets to open, and notice that it’s been moved back to the top of your dresser. Your brother must have picked it up last night.

After what felt like years, you finally smack the top of the alarm, silencing it until tomorrow morning.

_Maybe I can just sleep a few extra minutes?_

Snuggling into your starry blanket, you hold Molasses tighter, letting your eye socket flutter shut after a moment.

You don’t want to get out of bed, but if you don’t on your own terms, Papyrus will more or less drag you out anyways. May as well save him the trouble. It’s Sunday, so you don’t even have school or work, but he still insists on getting up far too early for your liking.

If you had it your way, you would fall asleep, and never get up again.

…

It’s not as morbid as it sounds.

Reluctantly, you force your legs to move, planting them on the floor, and you push yourself up. You can already smell the pancakes that Papyrus had said he was making this morning, and god do they smell amazing. He’s always been such a good cook.

You make your way over to your dresser, and open the top drawer, pulling out your soft blue hoodie. Without your blanket, it’s really cold in your room, despite you not even having skin. 

The hoodie is really warm. Papyrus made sure of that when he got it for you. You hate being cold.

It funny how you live in Snowdin, but hate being cold.

Now that you’re not freezing to death anymore, you turn your doorknob, and walk down the stairs, taking in the scent of tasty pancakes.

As much as you love Grillby’s, nothing can beat your brother’s cooking. It’s by far the best of the best, and he cooks every meal with love. He hasn’t even burned anything too badly since the Chocolate Cake-Tastrophe.

You walk through the living room, and into the kitchen. Papyrus is at the stove, making breakfast and humming a happy little tune. You sneak over to him quietly, as to not give away your presence, and you wrap your arms around him from behind in a surprise hug.

“mornin’ bro.” 

He jumps, not expecting you to be up.

“Jeez! You scared me, Sans! I thought you would still be asleep.” Papyrus turns, and pats your head with his free hand, still keeping a careful eye socket on the pancakes.

“i figured you’d wake me up if i stayed in bed anyways, so jus’ got up. i’d still be asleep if it weren’t for that dumb alarm.” 

“Good choice! And good morning to you as well, brother.” He smiles lovingly, and flips a pancake. “How did you sleep?”

“i actually had a pretty weird dream. wasn’t bad, just kinda funny. somethin’ bout a singing cup of coffee.”

“That sure is quite the dream, brother! Mine was about the supermarket. When I got there, they said that all of the spaghetti had been sold out.” He shudders.

“damn, that’s gotta be terrifying.”

“It was.”

You let go of your brother so he can cook without distractions, and go to sit at the table. The sizzle of batter on a pan is good background noise. You idly fidget with the drawstrings of your jacket, trying to pass the time.

Pancakes luckily don’t take very long to make, because before you know it, there’s a stack of two steaming hot pancakes drizzled in syrup, right in front of you. They smell like heaven just waltzed in through the door, and if you died right then and there, you would be content with your final moments.

Okay maybe that’s a bit overdramatic.

“woah pappy. those ‘cakes smell amazing!” It takes every last bit of your self control to not scarf them down immediately.

“Thank you brother, I’m glad you enjoy eating my cooking! I put extra butter on yours, just how you like it!” Papyrus beamed.

“you’re the best bro.” You cut off a piece, and shove it into your mouth.

These are the best pancakes you’ve ever eaten. They’re so much better when they haven’t been frozen. No way can you go back to those rock hard, sad excuses for a pancake from the supermarket.

“holy crap pappy. this may just be your best meal yet!” You say, voice muffled by a mouthful of pancakes. 

Papyrus’ smile somehow got wider when you said that, and he goes to fix his own plate. 

“I’ll be sure to make them more often, if that’s the case!”

Remember when you were trying not to devour them in minutes?

Yeah that’s not happening anymore.

“oh god please do. m’never goin’ back to the store bought kind. if i have to, i might jus’ die.”

“That would be unfortunate.” Papyrus says, sitting down across from you, and digging into his breakfast as well.

You don’t even need coffee this morning. You feel so well rested, and the delicious breakfast just gives you even more energy. For the first time in a while, you want to DO something today. You want to go OUTSIDE. _VOLUNTARILY._

“hey pappy, d’ya think we could go for a walk later?” 

Papyrus stares at you, surprised.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” He points his fork at you accusingly, and it still has a piece of pancake on it. You lean over the table, and steal it from him.

He just looks at you with the most disappointed look on his face.

“Okay, you’re not an imposter.” Papyrus goes back to eating his food.

“course not, i’m sans.”

“Dramatic sigh.”

“did you. did you just say ‘dramatic sigh’.”

“Yes. I cannot even perform the action of sighing dramatically the correct way. That is how much you have disappointed me, brother.”

You laughed at that. 

“c’mon bro. m’serious about this. i wanna go outside and do somethin’ today.”

“I thought you were Sans?”

“now it’s my turn to sigh dramatically.”

You lean back in your chair, and sigh 100 times more dramatically than Papyrus ever would.

“Oh hush. If you really want to go on a walk, we can, brother! I’m glad you’re motivated to be more active.” Papyrus said, finishing the last bits of pancake.

“sweet! we should go to waterfall. maybe bring some snacks and have a picnic or something.” You were done with your breakfast now too.

“Great idea Sans! We’ll leave at around 4:30, that way we don’t have to come back for you to take your medicine.” He took the plates, walking over to the sink to wash them.

“efficient. sounds like a plan bro.”’

——————-

After helping you change your bandages, Papyrus spent the rest of the morning cleaning around the house. Sometimes, you pull yourself away from your book to help him. Mostly though, you just read a book about girls with magical powers.

Alphys let you borrow it the last time you were at her lab. You can’t read the title, but it’s got a good story. Even if they’re using magic all wrong.

You’re pretty sure monsters aren’t able to open portals to another dimension.

_Pretty_ sure.

It would be a cool thing to try out, but then again, you don’t really have the magic to spare. Alphys is probably already working on that. You know how invested she gets in this kind of thing.

——————-

Papyrus tried to make you pick up your sock. 

You told him it was a part of the family now, and discrimination is wrong on so many levels.

Papyrus gave up.

_1 point for Team Sans!_

——————-

After you had taken your medicine, and probably terrified the neighbors with your screaming, you helped Papyrus collect some snacks for the picnic. Without him noticing, you slipped some Sanswiches™ into the basket. Pure ketchup and bread.

Perfection. 

“Ready to go, brother?” Papyrus turns to you, holding the basket and a picnic blanket under his arm.

“yep, let’s go.” You slip on your light blue sneakers so that your fuzzy pink slippers don’t get soaked in Waterfall.

Your brother smiles at you, and steps out onto the porch. You follow close behind, and he locks the door with a _click._

A few of the Snowdin residents glance at you and your brother, giving you waves, and warm smiles, and the occasional “Hello!”

You return the gestures, as well as Papyrus, albeit more enthusiastically than you. 

The walk to Waterfall is peaceful, with only the occasional alert from your phone disturbing the quiet dripping of water on the cold, rocky floor. As you reach the picnic spot, a secret room with a bench in the middle, you get a notification from the Undernet that catches your attention.

_UNREAD MESSAGE FROM: Alphys!_

_Alphys:_

_Hiya Sans! I did some tests on the bone sample you gave me last time, and I think you’re finally stable enough to lower the dose on your medication! I’m going to do a few more tests just to make sure. Come to the lab tomorrow with your brother when you get out of school, kay?_

Immediately after, before you can even respond, she sends another message.

_Alphys:_

_I mean, if that works for you! If you have work tomorrow right after, we can always reschedule your appointment._

“hold up bro, got a message from alph.” 

“Alright! I’ll set up the picnic while you reply!” Papyrus spreads out a blanket on the grass.

You type out your response.

_sans:_

_heya alph. i do have work tomorrow, but i get off at 5, so anytime after that is good_

_Alphys:_

_Sounds great! OH BEFORE I FORGET don’t take your pills tomorrow, it could throw off the readings if you have the stabilizer in your system when I do the examination._

_sans:_

_if i melt, i'm blaming you_

_Alphys:_

_Hopefully that doesn’t happen owo_

_sans:_

_it better not lmao_

_although if i were a puddle i wouldn't have to work anymore_

_Alphys:_

_Sans no_

_sans:_

_you’re no fun ;-;_

_Alphys:_

_No, I’m your doctor._

_sans:_

_i thought you were alphys?_

_Alphys:_

_This conversation is over. Bye!_

_sans:_

_see ya to-marrow_

You pocket your phone, and sit on the picnic blanket next to your brother. He’s already got the food set out too. You take one of your secret Sanswiches from the basket, and take a big bite out of it.

“What did Alphys say?” Papyrus asked, biting into his own sandwich.

“said i gotta go to the lab after work tomorrow so she can do another examination. might be able to lower the dose of my meds. she thinks i’m stable enough now” The Sanswich tastes amazing.

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful news brother! Did she say anything about fixing your eye socket?”

“nah, i’ve given up on being able to fix it. you should too.”

“Nonsense! I shall not let go of the subject until your face stops melting!”

“alright, bro.”

You look up at the ‘stars’ hanging from the cave ceiling. They glow just bright enough to give a light source to the cavern, but not so bright that it’s blinding. They almost look like real stars.

Not that you would know what real stars look like, you’ve only seen pictures from human books that Papyrus found in the dump for you. Some older monsters remember the stars, and the way they describe them makes them sound enchanting.

An endless stretch of stars, planets, and moons lighting up the night sky. They’ve fascinated you since Papyrus got you that book.

“do ya really think i’ll ever be able to see with both eyes again?” You ask, turning to your brother.

Papyrus was silent for a while, before responding.

“Yes. I think that at some point, you’ll have your full vision back. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that.”

“but why? it just feels like we’re going in circles sometimes. alphys thinks she made a breakthrough, we get our hopes up, and then we’re knocked back to square one.” You protest.

“We just have to stay determined!” He declared.

“yeah yeah, you always say that…” You mutter under your breath.

“I say it because it’s true.” Papyrus takes another bite of his sandwich, and pats your shoulder. “It will be alright, Sans.”

Somehow, that doesn’t make you feel any better.

——————-

When you and Papyrus returned home, you spent the rest of the day watching movies together, and working on plushies. Someone had commissioned you for a small bunny plush, likely for a small child. They didn’t specify what color they wanted, so you had to improvise, taking inspiration from the man, the myth, the legend, Fluffy Bunny himself.

Not long after you finished the plushie, you got another notification from the Undernet, telling you that you got another commision. Someone wanted a more complicated plush, a dragon for their teenage son. Red in color, with green accents. Because of the complexity, you had to charge a bit more, but the customer was pretty chill the whole time.

Dinner eventually rolled around, and Papyrus cooked enough spaghetti to last a few days. It was a lot better than last time. Your brother was great at cooking anything, but spaghetti was something he struggled the most with.

After dinner, Papyrus helped you change your bandages, and tucked you into bed.

Before he got up, you shyly asked for a bedtime story.

“Of course! I assume you wanted Fluffy Bunny: Hide and Seek in Space?” Papyrus was already at your bookshelf searching for the book.

“yeah, it’s a classic.” You say, snuggling closer under your blanket.

“It really is...I remember when we first got this book. You were still small enough to fit in my backpack!” Papyrus smiled gently.

“i probably still could.”

“Perhaps.”

Your brother sat down next to your bed, and started reading the book. You were already half asleep.

“Fluffy Bunny has found himself trapped on a spaceship! He needs your help finding the perfect hiding spot. Can you help him?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we make Fluffy Bunny an actual children's book series? I feel like it would do really well. It could be one of those things where it's interactive, and you have these little pop ups, and things to unfold so you can try to find him.


	6. Do I Get A Lollipop After This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans goes to the doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, it's getting kinda hard to write this because of my lack of ideas on how to move the story along, and im honestly kinda loosing motivation for this story. im not gonna abandon it, but updates will just come out when they're done. 
> 
> enjoy i guess?

School was boring. All you did there was sit at a desk for 6 hours, listening to some old monster talk about shit that you’ll supposedly use later in life. Occasionally, one of the younger kids there would catch sight of you and beg for an autograph. It made you want to curl into a ball and hide.

Work was also boring. You mostly slept through it, but Papyrus would wake you up when your actual break started, so you could head off to Grillby’s for lunch. Other than that, sentry duty was uneventful, save for when Doggo would run after yet another patch of fallen snow.

What was not boring, was your visit to Doctor Alphys.

“S-so, according to these r-readings on your soul,” She pointed to a screen full of numbers. “the determination h-has been almost completely r-removed from your s-system!” 

“sooo, what’s gonna happen now?” You ask, swinging your feet back and forth.

“W-well, as I told y-you yesterday, I believe we c-can lower your dose of pills. I-I’ll have to do a few more tests just to make sure, so k-keep taking them as you have been f-for now!” She handed you a new bottle, as yours were running low.

“thanks al.”

“N-now, do either of you h-have any questions?” She glanced between you and Papyrus.

Papyrus was the first to raise his hand, “Do you think we’ll eventually be able to ease him off entirely?”

Alphys perked up at that, albeit a tad nervously.

“Y-yes! I’m fairly c-confident that within t-the next few months, S-Sans will be able to s-stop taking the p-pills.”

Now that caught your attention. Not having to be in excruciating pain every single day? That was something you could get behind.

“woah, really? that sounds awesome!” You restrained yourself from shouting too loud.

Alphys nodded, “Mhm! I’m s-sure you’ll enjoy n-not having to t-take them anymore.”

“yeah, they hurt like a bitch.”

“Language.” Papyrus scolded.

“you swear as much as i do bro.” You countered.

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

The argument ended before it could snowball into a discussion about the implementation of a swear jar, and Alphys answered any remaining questions you had.

“C-come back next w-week, and I’ll have the results ready for you!” Alphys told your brother. 

“Will do Doctor Alphys, thank you!” Papyrus picked you up, and lifted you to his shoulders.

“thanks al, bye!”

“Have a g-great rest of your w-week!”

You made sure to snag a few cherry flavored lollipops from the front desk on the way out the door.

———————-

The next Monday, you found yourself sitting in Papyrus’ lap, while Doctor Alphys explains your confusing medical bullshit.

“So, h-here it says that h-his soul has almost r-removed all of the DT. I’m one hundred p-percent positive that w-we can start weaning you off your medication e-entirely!” She beamed.

You and Papyrus smiled widely back.

“Do you have an estimate on how long it will take?”

“M-maybe around five to six m-months? Possibly sooner!”

“That sound wonderful! Right Sans?”

“yeah! i can’t wait to not be in constant pain.” You say half sarcastically.

After the appointment ended, Alphys handed you your new prescription, and you were on your way.

———————-

The new medication wasn’t as bad as the last one. You only had to take them every other day, rather than daily, and they didn’t even hurt as much!

Of course, you still screamed and cried for 10 minutes, but hey, gotta take baby steps here. The road to recovery is a long one.  
You felt a tad more energized as well. After all, screaming in pain every single day for 10 years takes a lot out of a guy.

But now? You feel like you could run 100 laps around the Underground, and still not be tired!

Okay maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but still, the point still stands.

You’re feeling a hell of a lot better than you used to.

How you lived differently, you have no idea.

Papyrus asked if you're feeling okay after the 4th time you had asked to go on a walk with him.

“never felt better bro!” You had told him.

And it was true. 

For once in your entire life, you feel truly, truly happy. 

You haven’t had a nightmare about Gaster for a whole 2 weeks, ever since Papyrus started singing and reading to you every night.

You have a constant returning fan at the resort who laughs at every single one of your jokes.

(Don’t tell anyone, but you think the cat monster is kinda cute)

Your life is turning around, after all these years! You’re finally happy! 

Gaster isn’t a threat, the determination is slowly but surely being forced out of your system, and you have people who look forward to seeing you. 

(And you look forward to seeing them, more specifically, that super cute cat monster who you make eye contact with more often than your other fans)

You probably shouldn’t jynx it, but life is at long last looking up for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will have the two main characters meet, i promise
> 
> maybe.
> 
> eh, dont count on it.


	7. NOT A CHAPTER SORRY

Hello! I'm sorry if I got you excited about a new chapter, but this is the last update I'll be making for this story. I won't mark it as complete, because I know the pain of thinking it's actually complete, and then finding out a it's discontinued. ;-;

I'll be completely honest with you guys, I started this fic without any real plan in mind. I had a vague understanding of what I wanted to happen, and most of it was in messages between me and my soulmate. I wrote chapters and went along with whatever happened, the story was just writing itself with a lot of unnecessary details, and drifted away from my original idea.

But don't worry! Without Me, You Are Nothing is NOT over! I'll be taking a step back and writing an actual outline for the story, get my ideas in line, and publishing a rewrite! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

One of the things I'll be changing is the POV. It will still be in Sans' POV, but instead of second person, it will be third person. Second person is fun for oneshots and drabbles, but it's harder for me to write in long term.

The rewrite won't be up for a while, but it will happen sometime in the future!

Thank you for your continued support of this fic, I'll see you soon! 

ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ


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